Saucy

by Cynthia Kadohata (Author) Marianna Raskin (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade
From Newbery Medalist and National Book Award-winning author Cynthia Kadohata comes an irrepressible and heartwarming story about a girl and her ever-growing pig, Saucy--perfect for fans of The One and Only Ivan and Flora & Ulysses! Being a quadruplet can make it hard to stand out from the crowd. Becca's three brothers all have something that makes them...them. Jake has his music and dancing, Jammer plays hockey, and K.C. thinks they're all living in a simulation and doesn't see the point of doing much of anything. Becca is the only one with nothing to make her special. But when she finds a tiny, sick piglet on the side of the road, Becca knows this is it. This is her thing. She names the piglet Saucy and between her own pleading and Saucy's sweet, pink face, Becca convinces her family to take her in. Soon, Saucy is as big a part of the family as anyone else--and getting bigger. With each pound Saucy gains, the more capable she becomes of destroying the house and landing Becca in trouble. Some tough decisions need to be made about Becca's pet, and her search for solutions brings to light exactly where Saucy came from. Turns out, there are a lot more scared piglets out there, and saving them may take Becca and her brothers finally doing something together.
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School Library Journal

Starred Review

Gr 3-6--Eleven-year-old Becca is a quadruplet and the only one of her siblings who doesn't have a "thing." Jammer plays hockey, Bailey has his music, and KC thinks about the simulation he believes they're all living in. Then one night, while on a family walk, Becca notices something in the bushes: an abandoned, mangy, baby pig. No one knows where it came from, but overnight, Becca has found her purpose in caring for this pig. She names her Saucy, after the pig's attitude, and Becca is determined to make Saucy part of the family. But Saucy will grow to be 600 pounds, and a rapidly-growing, ever-hungry pig is a lot to handle in an already chaotic house. Kadohata excels at creating multidimensional characters who drive her stories. Becca is determined and cares deeply about her family, but she occasionally argues with her parents and siblings. Readers will relate to Becca's struggles with friendship and the worry she feels over leaving things unresolved with her best friend, who moved away after her mother was arrested. Ultimately, this is a redemptive story for Becca, who discovers that animals and people (herself included) are complex and worthy of second chances, and that while facing the truth can be tough, it will feel right. VERDICT Readers will love the zany antics brought on by raising a pig, but what makes this a must-read is Becca and her family, with all their love, flaws, and compassion.--Kristin Brynsvold, Tuckahoe Elem. Sch., Arlington, VA

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

*"Readers will love the zany antics brought on by raising a pig, but what makes this a must-read is Becca and her family, with all their love, flaws, and ­compassion."—School Library Journal, starred review
Cynthia Kadohata
Cynthia Kadohata is the author of the Newbery Medal-winning book Kira-Kira, the National Book Award winner The Thing About Luck, the Jane Addams Peace Award and Pen USA Award winner Weedflower, Cracker!, Outside Beauty, A Million Shades of Gray, Half a World Away, and several critically acclaimed adult novels, including The Floating World. She lives with her hockey-playing son and dog in West Covina, California.

Julia Kuo is the creator of 20 Ways to Draw a Cat and 44 Other Awesome Animals as well as the charming board book Everyone Eats. Julia also created the cover and interior artwork for Newbery Medal-winning author Cynthia Kadohata's The Thing About Luck and Place I Belong and New York Times bestselling author Jenny Han's Clara Lee and the Apple Pie Dream. She lives in Chicago.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781442412781
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Atheneum Books
Publication date
September 20, 2020
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV019000 - Juvenile Fiction | Humorous Stories
JUV002200 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Pigs
JUV013070 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Siblings
Library of Congress categories
Pigs
Swine
Brothers and sisters
Friendship
Animals
Infancy
Families
Family life
Animal rescue
Piglets
Quadruplets

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